Diagrid Structures for Engineers
Diagrid Structures for Engineers
SEMINAR REPORT ON
(STRUCTURES)
OF THE
SUBMITTED BY,
Seat No.:-
Dr. V. V. Shelar
2024-2025
KJ’s EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE’S
TRINITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND RESEARCH, PUNE
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
C ERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the following student have satisfactory carried out the Seminar-II
entitled “Study of a Multistory Building's Diagrid Structure”. This work is being
submitted for the award of degree of Masters in Structural Engineering. It is submitted in the
partial fulfilment of the prescribed syllabus of Savitribai Phule Pune University, in the
academic year 2024-2025.
I would like to express sincere gratitude to my guide Dr. V. V. Shelar for his constant
encouragement, support, help and advice during the course of my Seminar II am very much
thankful to him for his invaluable suggestions and guidance.
I would also like to thank all teachers & Dr. V.V. Shelar (PG Co-ordinator) for his
valuable suggestions. While submitting report avail the opportunity to express deepest
gratitude towards my friends and seniors and all who have helped to complete the task
completely and successfully.
I would also like to thank HOD of Civil Engineering Department for his valuable
suggestions and I acknowledge with thanks, the Staff of Civil engineering department and
central library.
I would like to thank honorable Mr. K. J. Jadhav, founder president of KJEI’s Pune
and Dr. A. B. Auti, Principal of K.J.E.I’s Trinity College of Engineering and Research,
Pune for giving me chance for doing work.
Finally, I am thankful to those who directly and indirectly helped me and supported
me to complete this work.
The diagrid structures are buildings with diagonal grids in the periphery at a particular
angle and in modules across the height of the building. construction of multi‐storey building
is rapidly increasing throughout the world. Recently the diagrid structural system has been
widely used for tall buildings due to the structural efficiency and aesthetic potential provided
by the unique geometric configuration of the system.These days the latest trend of technology
in diagrid structures is evolving.
Diagrid is an exterior structural system in which all perimeter vertical columns are eliminated
and consists of diagonal grids in the periphery at a particular angle and in modules across the height
of the building. The current trends of construction industry demand tall and lighter structures. These
tall structures are very sensitive to Lateral loads induced by wind or earthquake along with
gravitational loading. With the increase in height of the building, the lateral load resisting system
becomes more vital than the structural system that resists the gravitational loads. Diagrid system is an
innovative technology which promises better lateral load efficiency and is widely used now a days in
the design of tall buildings because of its inherent structural efficiency as well as aesthetic potential
provided by the unique geometric configuration of the system.
Auxiliary damping systems controlling building motion are also discussed. Further,
contemporary “out-of-the-box” architectural design trends, such as aerodynamic and twisted forms,
which directly or indirectly affect the structural performance of tall buildings, are reviewed. Finally,
the future of structural developments in tall buildings is envisioned briefly. Tall building
developments have been rapidly increasing worldwide. the evolution of tall building’s structural
systems and the technological driving force behind tall building developments. For the primary
structural systems, a new classification – interior structures and exterior structures – is presented.
The main objective was to determine the optimum module size of diagrid. In the modern age,
architects and engineers are developing cities vertically due to the decrease in availability of free land,
increase in land prices, and the widespread urbanization. However, there are practical constraints to
bound the vertical limits of skyscrapers. Therefore, it is essential for architecture and structural
engineering to understand the study of structural systems for tall buildings.
CONTENTS
Sr. No Description Page No
1 Title page i
2 Certificate of Seminar ii
3 Acknowledgement iii
4 Abstract iv
5 Content vi
6 List of Figures vii
7 List of Tables viii
8 List of Graphs viii
Sr.No Contents Page No
1 INTRODUCTION 1-4
1.1 General 1
1.2 Diagrid System 1
1.3 Diagrid Angle 1
1.4 The Triangular Diagrid Module 2
1.4.1 Introduction 2
1.4.2 Module Geometry 3
1.5 Problem Statement 4
1.6 Objectives 4
1.7 Scope of Project Work 4
2 LITERATURE REVIEW 5
3 METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION 8
3.1 Geometry and Structural Data 8
3.2 Load Combination Of Wind And Seismic Load 8
3.3 Wind Design 9
3.4 Seismic Design 9
3.5 Models Generation 9
4 MERITS AND DEMERITS OF DIAGRIDS 12
5 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF DIAGRID NODES 13
6 CASE STUDY 18
7 RESULTS 21
8 CONCLUSION 29
REFERENCES 30
LIST OF FIGURES
Sr. No. Description Page No.
1.1 Show in Diagrid Structure 2
1.2 8 Storey diagrid with 60 degree diagonal angle 2
5.1 Load Path at Node 5
5.2 Diagrid Node Design 15
5.3 Node detail for the Hearst Tower 16
A Diagrid node after fabrication
5.4 17
5.5 Construction Plan of a Diagrid 17
5.6 Diagrid Erection Process 17
6.1 i-Lab Building, Hyderabad 18
6.2 Interior view of i-Lab Building 18
LIST OF TABLE
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 General
The development and growth of tall buildings around the world in populated
cities is increasing day by day. It is due to continuous urban sprawl, availability of
more rental areas with less environmental damage, constructional cost efficiency and
the need to preserve the agricultural land. Diagrid – Diagonalised grid structures is one
of the emerging innovative concepts to design tall buildings. Diagrid not only gives
more stiffness but also resist the lateral forces (Due to wind and seismic) and gravity
load by axial action. It is a particular form of space truss consisting of perimeter grid
made up of triangular structural system. Diagrid- a word formed by combination of
“diagonal” and “grid” designated Diagrid as a totally new trend.
Diagrid is a particular form of space truss consisting of perimeter grid made up of
series of triangular module. This module can also be of diamond shaped. The
important point for a diagrid structure system is selection of material for the structure.
The materials available for the construction of diagrid are:-
1. Steel
2. Concrete
3. Timber
storey shear and top storey displacement changes. Therefore, it is very necessary for an
Engineer to obtain the optimum angle of diagonals in diagrid structure in order to
obtain a safe structural design of diagrid. For maximum bending rigidity, the angle
made by column should be 90° and for maximum shear rigidity, it is 35°. It is expected
that optimum angle of diagrid falls in this range. bending beams whereas short
buildings with low aspect ratio behave like shear beams. Thus, it is expected that,
increase in building height increases the optimal angle of diagonals.
Optimal Angle:
As in the diagrids, diagonals carry both shear and moment. Thus, the optimal
angle of diagonals is highly dependent upon the building height. Since the optimal
angle of the columns for maximum bending rigidity is 90 degrees and that of the
diagonals for maximum shear rigidity is about 35 degrees, it is expected that the
optimal angle of diagonal members for diagrid structures will fall between these angles
and as the building height increases, the optimal angle also increases. Usually adopted
range is 60 -70 degree.
Module Dimensions:
Height of the module: It depends on the number of stories stacked per module.
Usually 2 – 6 stories are stacked per diagrid with average floor height varying from
3.5 -4.15 m on an average.
Base of the module: It depends on the height and optimal angle (apex angle) of the
diagrid.
members.
1.6 Objectives
i) The Main objective of this study is to understand the concept of diagrid structural
system.
ii) To understand the analysis and design methodology of diagrid structure using
STAAD.Pro v8i ss5 software.
iii) To determine the various optimum angle and various storey for diagrid system.
iv) Analysis of building wind analysis.
v) Analysis of building frames considering seismic analysis.
vi) Comparison between conventional building and diagrid building.
Chapter 2
Literature Review
Ravi Sorathiya, Asst. Prof. Pradeep Pandey et.al. “Study on diagrid structure of
multistorey building” (2017)
This paper presents a stiffness-based design methodology for determining preliminary
member sizes of r.c.c diagrid structures for tall buildings. A G+24, G+36,G+48,G+60
storey RCC building with plan size 18 m × 18 m located in surat wind and seismic is
considered for analysis. STAAD.Pro software is used for modelling and analysis of
structural members. All structural members are designed as per IS 456:2000 and load
combinations of seismic forces are considered as per IS 1893(Part 1): 2002. Comparison of
analysis results in terms of beam displacement, Storey Drift, Bending Moment. This cause
economical design of diagrid structure compared to conventional structure.
Kyoung Sun Moon et.al. “ Diagrid Systems for Structural Design of Complex Shaped
Tall Buildings”(2016)
This paper studies structural performance of diagrid systems employed for complex-
shaped tall buildings.Twisted, tilted, tapered and freeform tall buildings are designed with
diagrid structures, and their structural performances are investigated. This paper studied
lateral performance of diagrid structures employed for these complex-shaped tall
buildings of various form categories.
Saket Yadav, Dr. Vivek Garg et.al. “ Advantage of Steel Diagrid Building Over
Conventional Building” (2015)
In this study, the structural response of conventional and diagrid building is
investigated to evaluate the structural benefits of diagrid system. A regular G+15 storey
steel building with a plan size of 18 m x 18 m, located in a seismic zone V is analysed and
designed by STAAD Pro. Software. All structural members are designed as per Indian
standard for general construction in steel (IS 800:2007) and the seismic forces are
considered as per Indian codal provision for earthquake resistant design of structure (IS
1893 (Part 1): 2002). In diagrid structure, the major portion of lateral load is taken by the
external diagonal members, which in turn releases the forces in other members of the
structure. The use of diagrids significantly decreases the maximum shear force and bending
moment in internal and perimeter beams.
because lateral shear can be carried by the diagonals on the periphery of building.
Sree Harsha J, K Raghu, G Narayana et.al. “Analysis of tall buildings for desired
angle of diagrids” (2015)
In this present study the non linear analysis is carried out for the considered diagrid
structural system. The comparison of analyzed results in terms of top storey displacement,
time period, storey shears and mode shapes is presented.in order to determine the optimal
uniform angle for each structure with a different height and to investigate the structural
potential of diagrids with changing angles The comparison of 24-storey diagrid structural
system with different uniform angles is presented here.. The 24 storey diagrid structural
system with different angles are modelled and analyzed by using Etabs Software. Now a
day the Non linear analysis is essential for a tall building.
Khushbu Jania , Paresh V. Patelb et.al. “Analysis and Design of Diagrid Structural
System for High Rise Steel Buildings” (2013)
In this paper, analysis and design of 36 storey diagrid steel building is presented in detail.
A regular floor plan of 36 m × 36 m size is considered. ETABS software is used for
modeling and analysis of structure. All structural members are designed using IS 800:2007
considering all load combinations. Load distribution in diagrid system is also studied for 36
storey building. Also, the analysis and design results of 50, 60, 70 and 80 storey diagrid
structures are presented.
Chapter 3
Methodology and Data Collection
The design methodology is applied to a set of diagrid structures G+24, G+36, G+48 and
G+60 stories tall, The diagrid structure of each storey height is designed with diagonals of
various uniform angles as well as diagonals of gradually changing angles over the building
height in order to determine the optimal grid geometry of the structure within a certain
height range. The building’s typical plan dimensions are 18x 18 meters with typical storey
heights of 3 meters. The structures are assumed to be in Surat.
L3.
Table No.1 Seismic Parameters
3.5 Models Generation
There are four different story of building analyzed
(1) G+24 Storey
(2) G+36 Storey
(3) G+48 Storey
(4) G+60 Storey
And all these models are analyzed for wind analysis IS code 875(PART 3):1987 and
seismic analysis IS 1893(part1):2002
fff Storey module Diagrid Angel Storey
TTa 2 Storey 57° G+24 G+36 \ G+48 G+60
3 Storey 63°
ble 4 Storey 69°
No. 6 storey 73°
2 Storey module of diagrid angel
Storey Elements in mm
G+48 Storey Beam Column Diagrid
450 X 800 900 X 900 650 X 650
450 X 600 850 X 850 -
300 X 600 800 X 800 -
300 X 450 750 X 750 -
300 X 400 700 X 700 -
300 X 350 650 X 650 -
Storey Elements in mm
G+60 Storey Beam Column Diagrid
450 X 800 950 X 950 650 X 650
450 X 600 900 X 900 -
350 X 600 850 X 850 -
300 X 600 800 X 800 -
300 X 450 750 X 750 -
300 X 400 700 X 700 -
300 X 350 650 X 650 -
Chapter 4
Merits and Demerits of Diagrids
Merits of diagrids:
1) The Diagrid structures have mostly column free exterior and interior, hence free and
clear, unique floor plans are Possible.
2) The Glass facades and dearth of interior columns allow generous amounts of day
lighting into the structure.
3) The use of Diagrids results in roughly 1/5th reduction in steel as compared to Braced
frame structures.
4) The construction techniques involved are simple, yet they need to be perfect.
5) The Diagrids makes maximum exploitation of the structural Material.
6) The diagrid Structures are aesthetically dominant and expressive.
7) Redundancy in the DiaGrid design is obvious. It is this redundancy then that can
transfer load from a failed portion of the structure to another. Skyscraper structural
failure, as it is such an important/ prominent topic, can be minimized in a DiaGrid
design A DiaGrid has better ability to redistribute load than a Moment Frame
skyscraper. Thus creating a deserved appeal for the DiaGrid in today’s landscape of
building.
Demerits of Diagrids:
Some demerits of using Diagrids are mentioned below:
Chapter 5
The basic materials used in Diagrid construction are Steel, Concrete and Wood. The
relative merits and demerits of using them are discussed below.
Steel:
Steel is by far the most popular material for Diagrid constructions. The typical steel
sections used are Wide flanges, Rectangular HSS and Round HSS.
Steel Wide Flanges:
Advantages- The weight and Size of wide flanges are optimized to resist the high bending
loads many of the members experience. Thus use of wide flanges results in reduced
structure weight and flexibility of size. The sections can be prefabricated in multi-panel
sections, allowing quick erection by crane, reducing labor costs in the field.
Disadvantages- Use of HSS sections will need a change in floor layouts as the beams will
need to frame into the node points. This reduces the floor flexibility and efficiency.
Concrete:
Concrete is another widespread material for Diagrid constructions. It is used both in
Precast and Cast-in-situ forms.
Precast concrete:
Advantages-The flexibility of precast sections allows them to fit to the complex building
geometries. Concrete also offers extreme safety against structural fire damage.
Disadvantages- The use of Concrete increases the dead load on the foundations,
deflections of long spans, etc. Creep in concrete is also an issue. -in-situ Concrete: Under
an Efficient material management system, cast-in-situ concrete is the best material in
terms of material cost. Lead time is virtually nothing as cast-in-situ is available on
demand.
.
Timber:
Timber is the least popular material for Diagrid constructions.
Advantages- Multi-panel sections can reduce erection time and labor cost.
Disadvantages – Timber cost, both for material and connection, are much higher than
the traditional structural materials of steel and concrete. Owing to its lesser material
strength, the member sizes would be very large and hence is not preferred for major
construction works. Durability and weathering of timber are other major issues.
The
prefabricated nodes are connected to the large built-up diagonal members by bolts at the
jobsite. As building form becomes more irregular, generating appropriate construction modules
is critical for better constructability. Though it is possible to produce any complex shape
construction module using today’s CAD/CAM technology, it is not the most economical
solution. Extracting regularity from an irregular building form, and then adjusting the building
form following the extracted regularity could be one approach. Another approach could be to
make the construction modules relatively regular and design universal connections so that
they can accommodate any irregularity.
5.2.2
Erection of Diagrid Nodes
During construction, the stability in the in-plane direction can be provided by the modules
themselves and in the out-of-plane direction can be provided by the tie beams at the node. The
temporary restraint to the diagrid and the construction may be minimized. The various steps in the
Diagrid erection process include :
Fig. No. 5.5 Construction Plan of a Diagrid Fig. No. 5.6 Diagrid Erection Process
Chapter 6
Case Study
This prominent shell (55m x 23m x 21m) design is characterized by the use of a unique
diagrid structure used effectively to provide visual lightness and barrier-free usable office
spaces inside. The self-supporting form with minimal vertical supports lends the building `
an innovative look and reduces low life-cycle costs further. This five-storied pre-fabricated
lightweight structure took eight months for construction.The skin of the building is a
network of circular hollow M.S. sections with nodes that are welded during assembly. Steel
floor beams are spanned between the peripheral nodes and central ring beam and these
floor beams support the composite floor slabs. The core that houses the services has
columns of reinforced concrete with optimal and varying thickness of structural steel
usage.
Location:- Hyderabad
Client:- iLabs HTC Pvt Ltd
Architect:- Uday Joshi, Mumbai
Structural Consultant:- Construction Catalysers Pvt. Ltd.
Project Management Consultant:- Construction Catalysers Pvt. Ltd.
Software used:- Cad, 3D Max, Structural Softwares
Steel Producers:- Tata Structura
RCC Contractor:- Construction Catalysers Pvt. Ltd.
Steel Fabricator:- Construction Catalysers Pvt. Ltd.
Surface Protection (Painting etc):- Construction Catalysers Pvt. Ltd.
Electrical Contractor:- Construction Catalysers Pvt. Ltd.
Plumbing & Sanitary Contractor:- Construction Catalysers Pvt. Ltd.
Cost of project:- 12 Crore (For Steel Work)
Structural Steel requirement:- Not specified
Year of Commencement:- Jan-2008
Year of Completion:- Dec-2009
Chapter 7
Results
Chapter 8
Conclusion
8.1 General
The current study is carried out by considering the different angles of diagrid and also
different storey module of the varying building height. The proposed plan of 18m x 18m is
considered with four different types of angles of diagrid that is 57°, 63°, 69°,and 73° for 2
storey, 3 storey, 4 storey, 6 storey diagrid module for G+24, G+36, G+48 and G+60 storey
building. also comparative study diagrid and conventional building is carried out. We
conclude from the study that
For all the 40 models consider for the study storey displacement and storey drift values
are within the permissible limit.
Wind and seismic analysis are all storey diagrid angel 63° and 69° provides more
stiffeness to the diagrid structural system which reflect the less storey displacement, less
storey drift and less bending moment.
Comparison of diagrid building and conventional building they are shows that diagrid
building are less displacement,less story drift and less bending moment in wind and
seismic analysis.
Diagrid structure comparison to conventional building provide more aesthetic look it
becomes important for high rise structure
So from result comparison with conventional building, one can adopt diagrid structure for
better lateral and gravitational load resistance.
References
Journal Papers:
Softwares:
STAAD.Pro v8i ss5 software.
Codes:
1. IS: 456-2000, “Indian Standard code of practice for Plain and Reinforced
concrete,”
Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, India.
2. IS 875 (PART 3):1987 code for practice for design loads(other than earthquake) for
buildings and structures.
3. IS 1893 (part:1):2000 Proposed Draft Provisions and Commentary on Indian Seismic
Code.